Portable mail-holder for letter-carriers&#39; use.



M. EHRLIGH & W. BGKER. PORTABLE MAIL HOLDER FOR LETTER mamas USE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19, 1911.

1,004,392, Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

l/V VE N TORS Mamm i wwa My W MORRIS EHRLICH AND WILLIAM ECKER, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

PORTABLE MAIL-HOLDER FOR LETTER-CARRIERS USE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 19, 1911.

Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

Serial No. 622,001.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MORRIS EHRLICH, a subject of the Emperor of Russia, and WIL- LIAM ECKER, a citizen of the United States of America, both residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have jointly invented an Improvement in Portable Mail-Holders for Letter-Carriers Use, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to holders particularly for use by carriers employed for delivering mail matter.

It is customary with letter carriers when starting on their route to sort out and carry in their hand as many letters as possible belonging to their first patrons in the order of delivery, and to continue this practice along their entire route, and thus at least, one hand .is at all times filled with mail matter and often becomes cramped for this reason, and it is almost impossible for a carrier to hold an umbrella over his head while attending to his official duties, no matter how severe a storm may be raging.

Our invention consists of a simple device readily attached to or detached from the clothing of the carrier, and its object is to support and facilitate the delivery of assorted mail and at the same time relieve-the carrier from the necessity of continually carrying a number of letters in his hand.

The details and operation of the invention are hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of our improved device, Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same opened out to the full extent, and showing the device in its closed form by dotted lines.

Similar reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

1, 2, 3, indicate respectively the three members comprising the essential parts of our invention.

We prefer to construct the device in skeleton form for economy and lightness of weight. Each of these members has rightangled parts.

We employ three sections of round wire, each having a portion bent at right angles with the free ends of the members 1 and 2 formed into eyes or loops 4 through which the free ends of the member 3 are passed and bent toward each other in a common horizontal plane of equal length, with the ends meeting or nearly so, thus forming a pivotal connection of the three members. A helical spring 5 surrounds that portion of the member 3 which is between the opposite eyes in the ends of the members 1 and 2, and one end of this spring 5, is secured to the member 1, While the other end of the spring 5 is secured to the member 3. The action of the spring 5 tends to draw the members 1 and 3 toward each other, and in so doing the member 3, acting against one side of the member 2 forces that member toward the member 1, until the top or free bent over portion of the member 2 comes into contact with the upper or free end of the member 1, in which position the three members will be normally held by the spring.

In the upper part of the free end of the member 1, and centrally thereof, we preferably form a loop 6, of a size adapted to be readily passed over a button on the clothing of a carrier, and we also prefer to form in i a said portion of the member 1, one or more downwardly projecting looped portions 7, which may serve the purpose of attaching the device to a belt worn by the carrier or to a pocket in his clothing, if preferred. It will be readily understood that the loop 6 and downward projection or projections 7 may be soldered to or otherwise secured to the member 1, instead of being formed integral therewith, but we prefer to form them from one single piece of wire. The members 2 and 3 are each also preferably provided with downwardly bowed portions 8 and 12, respectively, at or about the center of their free ends.

In starting out for the delivery after the mail has been assorted, the carrier will select that portion belonging to his first patrons and place the same in the order of delivery between the members 1 and 2, the holder having been first opened by pulling the upper part of the member 2 away from the member 1 when it will turn on the pivotal connection with the member 3, carrying said member 3 with it against the action of the spring 5 and when the letters have been inserted between the members 1 and 2, the tension of the spring 5 will tend to hold the letters firmly between said parts, and gradually draw said members together as the letters are removed by the carrier, so that should only one letter or card remain in the holder, it will be clamped at the top between said members and cannot fall out. Special mail matter, or that belonging to the first patron may be held between the members 2 and 3, and it will be readily understood that the downwardly bowed portions 8 and 12 in the members 2 and 3, provide a means for facilitating the withdrawal of the letters from the holder by the carrier. When the carrier has delivered all the mail matter contained in the holder, he selects from his ordinary mail bag the mail next in order of delivery and, places the same in the holder, and so on until he has completed his route, and may then remove the holder from his clothing and place the same within his regular mail pouch for convenience, the holder being now empty and the parts drawn together by the spring, the same occupies but little space.

We claim as our invention:

1. A portable mail holder, comprising,

three wire members each having right-angled parts and pivotally connected together at their meeting ends, a spring by which the free ends of said members are moved toward one another, and a loop upon one of said members adapted for attachment to the:

three wire members each having right-angled parts, two of said members having their ends formed into eyes and the third member having its ends bent and passed through said eyes on the other two members, forming a pivotal connection between the three said members, and a spring connected at one end with one of said members and at its other end with another of said members by means of which the free ends of all three members are moved toward each other.

4. A portable mail holder, comprising three wire members each having right-amgled parts, two of said members having eyes at their ends and the third member having its ends bent toward each other in a common horizontal plane of equal length and passed through said eyes on the other two members forming a pivotal connection between the three said members, a helical spring surrounding the ends of the said third member and having one of its ends connected to said third member and its other end connected to one of the other of said members whereby the free end of said third member is brought to bear upon the intermediate member, thus tending to move the free ends of the first and second members toward each other.

Signed by us this 12th day of April, 1911.

MORRIS EHRLICH. WVILLIAM ECKER. Witnesses:

GnoJT. PINOK'NEY, BERTHA M. ALLEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

